Louisiana Christian in Pineville is celebrating its biggest football win in school history as the Wildcats upset Northwestern State 42-37 on Thursday night. It’s the 13th time an NAIA school has defeated an FCS school. Wildcats Coach Ben McLaughlin’s team trailed by 13 points at halftime, but took the lead in the third quarter by scoring two quick touchdowns.
“You’ve got a lead in the third quarter now; now there’s no more Division I vs. NAIA. Now it’s just two football programs going to war in the second half, and that’s what we got in; and it was a lot of fun,” McLaughlin said.
LCU outscored the Demons 28-10 in the second half to pull off the stunning victory. It’s the first time the Wildcats have defeated a D-1 school. McLaughlin says the national exposure the school has received has been amazing.
“Getting people around the nation to look at our lil’ ol’ college here, about a little special thing we feel like we’ve got going here, you can’t put a price on that; you can’t put words on that,” McLaughlin noted.
McLaughlin also played football at LCU and the reaction from the school’s alumni has been fantastic.
“Our old LCU chat was firing up again for the first time in a year or two. That makes you proud, because the product that we’re putting on the field is the glue that brings so many of these connections back together,” McLaughlin explained.
McLaughlin says they can’t celebrate too much, because they have to prepare for their home and conference opener against Langston on September.
Meanwhile the Demons are now 1-24 under third year coach Blane McCorkle. Northwestern is at Louisiana Tech next Saturday.
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